We held on as long as we could here in NJ, but the 70-degree weather that has been fooling us into thinking it isn’t really a mere three and a half weeks until Thanksgiving, is gone. The past few days have brought rain, more rain, and a definite chill.

Not the best weather for last night’s trick or treaters, but perfect for a pot of Hard Cider Braised Chicken. With fresh apples, thick-cut bacon, Dijon mustard, sage, and thyme, the aroma of this chicken cooking instantly warms you, even on the chilliest of nights.

Making Braised Chicken with Hard Cider

Given my penchant for everything “apple” this time of year, I always find myself making at least one pot of Chicken or Pork à la Normande (Normandy-style) before Fall’s end. Served with a creamy Calvados sauce, it’s a delicious, warming dish that totally embodies the season.

With the resurgence in popularity of hard (fermented) apple cider over the past few years, I’ve been itching to use it as the base for a Normandy-inspired braise.

About Braising:

When you braise a dish, you brown the meat at a high temperature and then slowly cook it until tender, in a covered vessel, with a liquid of your choosing. (Such as broth, wine, or beer.) Braising requires a comparably smaller amount of liquid than a technique like stewing. When you braise, the meat is not submerged in the liquid.

When I was thinking about this chicken dish, a few reservations lingered in the back of my mind: Would hard cider have a prominent enough apple flavor to be an effective braising liquid? Would it reduce well into a sauce without becoming too bittersweet?

When in doubt, there’s nothing to do but pull out the Dutch oven and give it a try.

The Best! Chicken Dinner I’ve Had in a While

Give me a minute to control my jazz hands over this dish, because I can think of no other words to describe it than “The Best!” chicken I’ve made in months. (Completely worthy of the capitalization and exclamation point.)

The crisp, lightly tart flavor of the hard cider was enough to complement the bolder mustard, smoky bacon, and herbs, without being consumed by them. It was bright without being obnoxiously so.

If I had a loaf of crusty artisan bread in the house, I wouldn’t have been able to keep myself from breaking off pieces and dipping it into the sauce. (I’m nothing if not honest.) It was that good.

Serving the Braised Chicken

I served the chicken with lightly-buttered egg noodles, but a simple mashed potato or roasted potato wedges would also be delicious. If you wanted to keep this a one-pot meal, the chicken and apples are definitely filling enough to be eaten on their own (and, naturally gluten-free).

With a comforting Fall dinner such as this on the table, you just might find yourself embracing the sudden arrival of “coat weather.” I know I am!

Need a refresher on apple varieties? Check out this visual guide from Epicurious.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season chicken well with salt and pepper on both sides. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil until just smoking. Add chicken, starting with the skin side down, and brown 5 minutes per side until golden. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add apple wedges and sauté over medium-high heat until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Add shallots and bacon to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes, until the fat is rendered from the bacon and the shallots are soft.

Slowly add hard cider, whisking to release the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in Dijon and stone ground mustards, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add chicken, sage, and thyme to the liquid. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Add apples to the Dutch oven. Re-cover and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Remove chicken and apples from the Dutch oven and tent with foil. Discard sage and thyme sprigs from the braising liquid. Return Dutch oven to the stove and bring liquid to a simmer.

Whisk in heavy cream and simmer on medium-low until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over the chicken and apples and serve with egg noodles or potatoes, if desired.

Recipe Notes

*Apple variety can vary here based on your personal sweetness preferences and availability. I had Honeycrisp apples to use up, which aren't usually ideal for braising, but they turned out out ok. Fuji would be fantastic here, as would a slightly tarter Rome or Jonagold.

**For best results, use a crisp cider that is on the drier side (as opposed to sweet). I used a 5% ABV cider made from 100% apple juice with no hops.

Have you made this recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below! Don’t forget to take a picture and tag @stripedspatula and #stripedspatula on Instagram for a chance to be featured in my newsletter!

Hi Adrian! I haven’t had to drain it off at that stage and use the bacon drippings to build and flavor the sauce. That said, if your bacon is on the fattier side and there seems to be a copious amount of fat in the pan, I’d get rid of some of it. You only need a couple of tablespoons of fat in the pan to make the sauce. Some bacons just throw more fat than others!

I’m with you on apple everything at this time of year and braises like this will be on the menu in our house until March at least. We’re having a cold front this weekend and I’d love to try this as the antidote to the chilly temps.

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Meet Amanda Biddle

I'm Amanda, and I love to create gourmet, seasonal recipes for every day and entertaining (sometimes, with a splash of bourbon, too). I'm inspired by the beauty of fresh ingredients, the people and places I visit, and believe that there are few bad days that can’t be improved with a warm baguette and a wedge of Brie.